"technology has allowed for far more opportunity than our parents and grandparents could have ever dreamt possible."

I think you are wrong here. Technology has imposed roadblocks and distractions, preventing the younger generation from being independent and happy.

Ronald's values were derived from a time before the internet. Things have changed a lot since then. Wealth and status are king today.
Try convincing a young man in his 20s, that he can be successful being a janitor while his peers are spending money and having fun.